Australia 8/19/2022 - 9/6/2022 |
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Thursday 8/25/2022 - Pho Quang Pagoda, A Picnic in South Perth, King's ParkWe had a good night's sleep and woke up at around 9:15 a.m. We heard birds in the tree outside the bedroom window...they sounded like a cross between a crow and a crying baby. Sonam Tshering was at work at the car dealership until 10 o'clock. Sonam Choki made us breakfast of coffee, waffles and scrambled eggs, with leftover fried rice that she had made last night, but we had been too stuffed to eat at the time.Sonam Tshering came home from work, and then the four of us drove around 30 minutes to the Pho Quang Pagoda, a Vietnamese Buddhist temple. The Sonams had never been there before, but had seen photos online. The weather is warmer here than in Adelaide, and the sun was out. The parking lot was empty and we didn't see a soul around, despite the fact that the temple was supposedly open. So we wandered around the gardens, which were spectacular in their own right. There was a pond with a bridge over it, with a statue of a dragon and a lotus flower emerging from the water. There were rock gardens and carefully manicured shrubs, with various statues of Buddhas interspersed throughout. There were cherry blossoms and bamboo groves, bonsai trees, and bodhi trees. The gardens were meandering and beautiful. The temple was raised above the gardens on a platform accessible by a set of stairs. We wandered around, but couldn't find a way in. Maybe it wasn't open today after all? But soon Sonam Tshering found someone who offered to let us in. She said that they have to keep it locked because people have repeatedly stolen the donation box and Buddha statues. Talk about bad karma! The woman unlocked the door for us and then left us alone in the temple. The temple was gorgeous. Behind the altar, there was a mural depicting important events in the Buddha's life. There was a large statue of Buddha, along with many smaller ones which were made of colored glass or gold. There were crystal lotus flowers as well as live orchids. Oranges were arranged in bright stacks as offerings. There were wooden ritual drums and large cast iron bells. A small mp3 player played soothing chant music. It was quite peaceful and beautiful, and we had the whole place to ourselves! When we were done in the main temple, we encountered a monk who told us we could enter another room. We know that the Vietnamese believe in ancestor worship, and this particular room was like an ancestor altar for the Vietnamese diaspora in Perth. The walls were covered with wooden cubbyholes containing urns of funereal ashes of members of the Vietnamese community here. They also contained photos. Especially sad were the urns of babies and young children, which were displayed with a favorite toy. We spent about an hour and forty five minutes at the pagoda, and it was quite interesting and enjoyable. We came home, and Sonam Tshering prepared ema datshi using peppers he had bought from a local Bhutanese shop. There are around 10,000 Bhutanese in Perth, and the community supports 4 Bhutanese restaurants. Ema datshi (chilies and cheese) is Craig's favorite Bhutanese food, and Sonam's preparation was delicious! After lunch, Sonam Choki showed us some of their photos. She started with their wedding in Bhutan, which we had been unable to attend due to the fact that it was all arranged and carried out rather quickly. So we were happy to see the photos and videos that they had taken. She then showed us some photos from their time together at university, when they were bench mates and best friends. They enjoyed time hiking and camping on the weekends with their other friends. Though they weren't dating yet, Sonam Tshering still found a way to sneak his way into photobombing many of her pictures. It is obvious that he was quite a flirt, even "jokingly" telling her that one day he would marry her. Their relationship blossomed into a romance after graduation. At 5:30 p.m., we left to have a picnic at the South Perth Esplanade on the south side of the Swan River, to look at the city lights as it grew dark. We had hoped to make it there for sunset, but the sun had already dipped below the horizon before we arrived. But no matter, there was still a slight orange glow in the low sky, and we were able to get a feel for the place in twilight before darkness fell. First we wandered around looking at the public art. This was installed as part of Mindeerup, which means "place of the shore" in the traditional Noongar language of the initial inhabitants. There were statues of meerkats and emus, and huge larger than life statues of a numbat and a frilled neck lizard provide shade during the daylight hours. These oversized canopies look like they have been created from origami. There was also a metal statue of a rhino by Jordan Sprigg. It is made with all kinds of scrap metal, including wrenches, saw blades, gears, ball bearings, flatware, pliers, cables, chains, and automotive parts. It was amazing to see how a talented person could take these found objects and turn them into such a compelling piece of art. It made us think of the Alternate Realities Museum we had seen at the d'Arenberg Cube several days ago. If Craig or I ever tried to make art like this, it would look like a pile of junk destined for the garbage dump. Yet here were a varied array of scrap metal objects formed into a realistic depiction of a rhinocerous. We have such respect for artists. We found a spot on the grass of the esplanade to set up our picnic. The Sonams have obviously got this picnic thing down to a science. They had brought a tarp, blanket, pillows, table/tray, wine with wine flutes, sparkling juice, freshly made pokaras, leftover ema datshi, potato chips, and nuts. Sonam Tshering went to a nearby Nepalese restaurant and bought lollipop chicken, cheese momos, and beef momos. We had a lovely time eating and drinking with the beautiful, magical backdrop of the city lights. When we were done with our picnic, we drove up to King's Park to see the city lights from a different angle. We had been here in the daylight on our previous visit in 2019 to admire the botanic gardens. Tonight it was quite a different experience looking down on the city lights from this hilltop. Breathtaking! We came back to the house and Craig had a beer while we chatted about Uluru...tomorrow we would be departing late at night for our Uluru adventure! Pho Quang Pagoda Mindeerup, South Perth |
 Sonam, Craig, and Sonam at Pho Quang Pagoda  Sonam, Sonam, and Craig at Pho Quang Pagoda  Steph, Sonam, and Craig at Pho Quang Pagoda  Pho Quang Pagoda altar  Jordan Sprigg's Rhino Statue at the South Perth Esplanade  Steph, Sonam, and Craig picnicking at South Perth Esplanade See all photos from August 25 |
 View of Perth from King's Park |
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